Trustmark National Bank Trust Department Sells 246 Shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC)

Trustmark National Bank Trust Department lowered its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 17.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,198 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 246 shares during the period. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Norfolk Southern by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,089,164 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,714,927,000 after acquiring an additional 139,485 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,098,472,000 after buying an additional 113,648 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its stake in Norfolk Southern by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,020,392 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $945,385,000 after buying an additional 580,293 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,073,933 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $721,452,000 after acquiring an additional 371,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Norfolk Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $547,575,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Norfolk Southern

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $259.86 per share, with a total value of $157,735.02. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $646,271.82. This represents a 32.29 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Norfolk Southern Price Performance

Shares of NSC opened at $221.06 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $236.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $246.56. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 12-month low of $201.63 and a 12-month high of $277.60. The stock has a market cap of $54.50 billion, a PE ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on NSC shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $298.00 to $259.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Norfolk Southern has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.79.

Norfolk Southern Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal.